drudgery

Definition of drudgerynext

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun drudgery contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of drudgery are grind, labor, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than drudgery?

The synonyms grind and drudgery are sometimes interchangeable, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When is it sensible to use labor instead of drudgery?

While the synonyms labor and drudgery are close in meaning, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Where would toil be a reasonable alternative to drudgery?

Although the words toil and drudgery have much in common, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

In what contexts can travail take the place of drudgery?

The words travail and drudgery can be used in similar contexts, but travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When would work be a good substitute for drudgery?

In some situations, the words work and drudgery are roughly equivalent. However, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drudgery So Mittelman looks forward to the last summer before college, the one time the drudgery of high school won’t loom. Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2026 The Fed researchers applied this framework to the drudgeries of entry-level work, arguing that the experience is foundational to building up expertise required for senior roles. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 21 May 2026 As a break from the drudgery of surviving a fraught postgraduate landscape, Harris sought refuge in her imagination. Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 16 May 2026 And then in parallel sequences, someone’s just doing the drudgery. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for drudgery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drudgery
Noun
  • This means nearly every labor unit in the CSU will be out of contract July 1.
    Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
  • Freshwater showers mean the sweaty smells of young adults doing manual labor never get too intense.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • But the effort was set aside after the onset of COVID-19, which caused massive disruptions across the Los Angeles Unified School District, said Michael Trujillo, a political strategist for Gonez.
    Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Both countries have stepped up efforts to safeguard freedom of navigation and uphold international law in the strait, including hosting a summit with 51 other nations in April.
    Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
Noun
  • This could lead to new deliveries for shareholders and customers once your team is freed from toil.
    Mark Hull, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
  • Pure white cloth, born in the murderous toil of slavery, formed in debilitating factory conditions, and finished through the agony of Sicilian children, was bleached in more ways than one.
    Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 15 June 2026
Noun
  • The administration has said in court filings that its information also discusses slavery.
    Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • America, whose Constitution was formulated by white men, struggled to live up to its founding ideals in the days of slavery and displacement of Native Americans.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Noun
  • The combination of heat and high humidity feels insufferable and dangerous because the human body can't cool off as effectively when sweat stays on the skin.
    Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • Foad adds that the idea of eliminating toxins comes from sweat washing away trace amounts of heavy metals from the skin, rather than flushing toxins from inside the body.
    Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • Although free labor can help a candidate win, volunteers are also seen as a source of risk, best restricted to such drudge work as phone banking or door knocking.
    Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Workers may be hoping that AI can finally take over their drudge work in the new year—ease their loads and shorten the workweek, or at least make more space for life outside the office.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • In an interview with Mental Floss, competitive eater Yasir Salem discusses how speed eaters will chew gum to strengthen their jaws to avoid fatigue during competitions.
    Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Fifty years later, his military haircut glistens with silver from a lifetime serving in fatigues.
    Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
Noun
  • In this week’s issue, the staff writer Paige Williams goes inside the booming repo industry, riding along with Matthew Pitman, a longtime repo man whose popular YouTube channel, RepoNut, chronicles the daily grind of repoing.
    Austin Elias-de Jesus, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
  • Mired in one of the worst slumps of his big-league career, Swanson is going through the day-to-day grind trying to get going offensively.
    Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drudgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drudgery. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on drudgery

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster